Balance
by Jasmine Shigeru
Summary: Martha's life is turned upside-down when a handsome stranger offers her a ride in his blue box. Now, she's fighting her growing feelings and for her life as they travel through time.


Title: Balance

Author: Jasmine Shigeru

Pairing: Martha Jones/Tenth Doctor

Summary: Martha's life is turned upside-down when a handsome stranger offers her a ride in his blue box. Now, she's fighting her growing feelings and for her life as they travel through time.

AN: This is a retelling of Season 3. Each episode will have more of a romantic overtone. If that's not your thing, don't read. Plus American writer, so be kind.

AN2: Kind of annoyed with this chapter. I wanted it to be different but it was not having it. Chapter two is way better.

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who nor do I wish I do. This is just for my entertainment and whoever wishes to read it. I am not making any profit from this and do not care for that matter.

Rating: M

Balance

By: Jasmine Shigeru

Chapter One

 _Smith and Jones_

Morning was not exactly Martha Jones's favorite part of the day. When she was a child, she was not an early riser. No one in her family really was, well her mother was the only one. So, when her alarm sounded early that morning, waking her from a pleasant dream of the tall, dark, and handsome variety, she wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, but today was a big day. She had to go to work and then it was her brother's 21st birthday party that night. She had to be there. She would never hear the end of it if she did not show. So, with an aggravated groan, Martha said goodbye to her dream lover and rolled out of bed and headed straight to her shower to start her day.

After her shower, Martha was dressed in nothing but a big, light blue, fluffy towel, she padded to her kitchen and popped some bread in the toaster. She started her toast and then went to her living room and grabbed her make-up bag. She went through it, carefully choosing her day make-up for work. After, she went into her bedroom and slipped on her bra and panties. Then she grabbed her hot toast from the toaster and placed it on a ceramic plate. She peeled her banana and ate it quickly.

Martha checked her clock. She had plenty of time before she had to catch the train. She decided to take the time to herself to dress. Once done, she ate her toast plain and downed her juice. She washed her dish and then her face. She brushed her teeth before she applied her make-up and slipped on her boots. She then did her hair.

Martha grabbed her coat and was out the door with time to spare. She had a feeling that her morning routine was going to be the easiest part of her day.

As soon as Martha was 15 minutes from Royal Hope Hospital, her mobile rang. It was Tish, her sister. The monotonous family drama was beginning.

"You're up early," Martha greeted. "What's happening?"

"It's a nightmare," Tish's voice sounded stressed. "'Cause Dad won't listen and I'm telling you Mum's going mental. Swear to God Martha, this is epic. You got to get in there and stop him."

Martha mentally sighed. She was the mediator for her entire family. She always has been. As far back as she could remember, she was the peacemaker. As soon as something happens that one or everyone disagreed on something, they expected Martha to find a solution. It only got worse once her parents divorced.

The 'her' Tish was referring to was Annaliese, her father's blonde girlfriend. She was only a few years older than her, which surprisingly did not bother her. What did bother her was that the woman had split her family. Not only did Annaliese steal her father away from her mother when times did not look so good, but she was obviously using him. But Martha always kept these thoughts to herself. She did not want to cause any more grief or arguments than was necessary.

"How do I do that?" she asked.

"Tell Dad he can't bring her." Tish practically demanded.

Martha's phone beeped and she checked who was calling her.

"Hold on, that's Leo," Martha said. "I'll call you back."

She switched the line to her brother.

"Martha," Leo said immediately. "If Mum and Dad start to kick off, tell them I don't even want a party. I didn't even ask for one. They could always give me the money instead."

"Yeah, but why do I have to tell them?" Martha asked reasonably. "Why can't you?"

Her phone beeped again and she checked the ID to see who was calling this time.

"Hold on, that's Mum. I'll call you back."

Martha switched over to her mother and like her brother before Martha could say anything Francine Jones's voice came through.

"I don't mind your father making a fool of himself in private, but this is Leo's 21st, everyone is going to be there and the entire family is going to look ridiculous."

Her mother could be overbearing and controlling and Martha knew that tonight would end in hostility. Mostly, because her mother would voice her opinion of Annaliese and her father and it would most definitely cause a fight of verbal slashes.

"Mum, it's a party. I can't stop Dad from bringing his girlfriend." Martha tried to reason and her phone beeped once again. This time it was her father calling. "Hold on, that's Dad. I'll call you back."

"Martha," her father said without saying hello or giving her a chance to. "Now tell your mother, Leo is my son and I'm paying for half that party. I'm entitled to bring who I like."

"I know, but think what it's going to look like for Mum with her standing there with Annaliese."

"What's wrong with Annaliese?" Clive Jones asked a bit offended.

Martha wanted to say 'everything' but she knew that would cause a disaster.

"Is that Martha?" Annaliese's high-pitched, nasally voice came through the speaker. "Say hi. Hi, Martha. Hi."

The last 'hi' stretched out annoyingly long and Martha chuckled a little. Sometimes she cannot believe her father was dating such a dense woman after being married to her mother. But she could guess that Annaliese made him feel young or something like that.

"Hi, Annaliese," Martha responded.

"Big kiss, lots of love! See at the party babes!"

Martha rolled her eyes.

"Now take me shopping, big boy," she heard Annaliese say to her father.

It was annoying and embarrassing hearing that, especially, since she knew that was exactly what her father was going to do.

Martha closed her phone. Her family was unbelievable, but they were her family and she loved them, most of the time.

She shook her head in disbelief and a tall stranger walked up to her.

"Like so," he said removing his tie. "See?"

He walked off before Martha could walk off. Martha did not know what to make of it. She pushed it into the back of her mind as she walked into the hospital and a man in black leather and a black helmet bumped into her and shoved her out of his way.

"Oi, watch it, mate!" Martha said sharply.

The man in black only turned and stared at her without saying a word. It was strange and creepy and it made a tingle of discomfort run up her spine.

Martha shook off her disturbed feeling and headed to the locker room to prepare for her residency. Her locker door shocks her as she closed it. Another thing, she thought best to ignore that day. She headed out with the rest of the group to do rounds with Mr. Stoker.

"I was all right till this morning," An elderly female patient said. "And then I don't know, I woke up and I felt all dizzy again. It was worse than when I came in."

Stoker reached for the patient's wrist and checked her pulse.

"Pulse is slightly thready," he said. "Well, let's see what Britain's finest might suggest. Any ideas, Morgenstern?"

"Er… dizziness," Morgenstern answered. "Could be an early onset diabetes."

"Hardly early onset," Stoker said condescendingly. "If you forgive me, Miss Finnegan. Any more ideas? Swales?"

"Um… could recommend a CT scan," Julia Swales answered.

"And spend all our money? Jones?"

"We could take bloods and check Meniere's diseases," Martha answered uncertainly.

"Or we could simply ask the patient," Stoker said simply. "What did you have for dinner last night?"  
"I had salad," Mrs. Finnegan answered.

"And the night before?"

"Salad, again."

"And salad every night for the past week, contrary to my instructions," Stoker said. "A Salt deficiency, that's all. Simple honest salt."

They left Mrs. Finnegan. On the way to see other patients, Martha saw the man in black again and this time he had a friend dressed just like him. It was another odd occurrence to an odd day. Just like before, the disturbed feeling nearly made her visibly shiver.

"Now then, Mr. Smith, a very good morning to you," Stoker said approaching the bed of a male patient. "How are you today?"

Martha stared at Mr. Smith. He looked just like the stranger who approached her earlier on the way to work. The man who removed his tie then walked away. She hardly noticed how cute he was before.

"Oh, not so bad," Mr. Smith said. "Still a bit, you know… blah."

"John Smith, admitted yesterday with severe abdominal pains. Jones, why don't you see what you can find? Amaze me."

Martha approached him. She places her stethoscope around her neck.

"It wasn't very clever, running around outside, was it?" she said.

"Sorry?" Mr. Smith asked confused.

"On Chancellor Street, this morning? Came up to me and took your tie off." Martha explained trying to get the man to remember.

"Really? What did I do that for?"

"I don't know, you just did."

"Not me. I was here in bed. Ask the nurses."

"Well, that's weird. 'Cause it looked like you. Have you got a brother?" Martha asked.

"No, not anymore." Mr. Smith answered. "Just me."

Martha felt a small tug at her heart.

"As time passes and I grow ever more infirm weary, Miss Jones."

"Right, sorry," Martha said.

She placed the stethoscope plugs into her ears before checking Mr. Smith's heart. It was beating fine, but there was something off. Martha frowned and checked Mr. Smith's right side and heard another heartbeat. Humans only had one heart, but Mr. Smith seemed to have two. Both beating normally as if it was not a medical anomaly.

Martha stared at Mr. Smith and he winked back at her, knowing just exactly what she had heard and acted as if it was nothing to worry about.

"I weep for future generations. Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?" Stoker said breaking the moment.

Martha removed the plugs. There was no way she was going to tell Stoker or anyone else what she just heard.

"Um… I don't know, stomach cramps?" She guessed the first thing that came to mind.

"That is a symptom, not a diagnosis. And you rather failed basic techniques by not consulting first with the patient's chart." Stoker said checking the chart and getting shocked by the metal clip. Martha quickly thought the shock was a form of karma for his uppity attitude.

"That happened to me this morning," Martha commented.

"I had the same thing on the door handle," Morgenstern said.

"And me, in the lift," Swales chimed in.

"Well, it's only to be expected," Stoker said it in the know-it-all way he usually did. "There's a thunderstorm moving in and lightning is a form of static electricity, as was first proven by…? Anyone?"

"Benjamin Franklin," John Smith blurted out.

"Correct," Stoker said.

John Smith continued talking.

"My mate, Ben. That was a day and a half, I got rope burns off that kite and then I got soaked and then I got electrocuted."

It was a weird thing for a person to say.

Stoker said something Martha did not hear as she gave Mr. Smith a last glance at the group walked away.

Much Later in the breakroom, Martha was on her phone. She had called her mother and brother back and now she called back her sister.

"No listen," she said. "I've worked out a plan. We tell Annaliese the buffet tonight is 100 percent carbohydrate, and she won't turn up."

"I wish you'd take this more seriously. That's our inheritance she's spending on fake tan." Tish said not finding her sister's joke funny. "Tell you what, I'm not that far away. I'll meet for a sandwich, we can draw up a battle plan."

"What, in this weather?" Martha said gazing out the window. "I'm not going out, it's pouring down."

"God, it's not raining here. That's weird. It's raining right on top of you. I can see it, but it's dry where I am."

"Well, you just got lucky."

"No, but it's like in cartoons when the man's got a cloud over his head."

"Yeah, but listen. I'll tell you what we do," She said taking her family drama seriously this time. Martha sees John Smith out of bed and walking past the breakroom door. It was a bit distracting. "We tell Dad and Annaliese to get there early, about 7:30, and we tell Leo to get there the same time so we can do all that birthday stuff. We tell Mum to get there about 8:30-9:00, and that gives me time to have a word with Annaliese and..."

"The rain," Julie Swales interrupted.

"It's only rain," Martha committed unimpressed.

"Martha," Tish said in awe. "Have you seen the rain?"

"Why is everyone fussing about rain?" Martha questioned.

"It's going up," Julia answered.

"The rain is going up," Tish said as well.

Martha had no choice but to believe what they both were saying, especially when she glanced out the window again to see that the raindrops were not falling down but going up and then, the building began to shake violently. It sent Swales and Martha to the floor. Martha lost the connection to her sister and well, though she did not know it yet, everyone else on earth.

"What the hell was that?" Martha exclaimed.

"Are you all right?" Swales asked.

"I think so, yeah," Martha said standing. She was not in any real pain just some aches and bruises from being thrown to the floor. "It felt like an earthquake or…"

"Martha, it's night," Swales said looking out the window. "But it was lunchtime."

"It's not night," Martha said in disbelief.

"But it's got to be. It's dark."

Again Martha stared out the window. It was dark as night. The stars were out, but instead of seeing the buildings and streets that surrounded Royal Hope, Martha saw the cratered surface of the moon.

"We're on the moon," Martha said in awe.

"Can't be," Swales said in a half-crazed whisper.

"We're on the moon. We're on the bloody moon."

Martha was feeling a bit thrilled. Her day started out normally, then turned odd, and now impossible. How could one not be excited about the situation? It just seemed absolutely fantastic.

Martha left the break room, Swales at her heels. She tries her best to calm down some of the people she passed before going to look out another window to make sure that her eyes were not playing tricks on her.

She stared out the window, not even paying attention to what room she found herself in.

"It's real. It's really real. Hold on." She tried to open the window but Swales stopped her.

"Don't, we'll lose all the air," Swales said in a near panic.

"But they're not exactly airtight. If the air was gonna get sucked out. It would've happened straightaway, but it didn't. So how come?"

"Very good point," Mr. Smith said. Martha turned to see him, tall and handsome in the blue suit he was now wearing.

"Brilliant in fact," he continued sounding very impressed with her. "What was your name?"

"Martha," she answered.

"And it was Jones, wasn't it?"

Martha nods.

"Alright then, Martha Jones, question is, how are we still breathing?"

He stepped up to the window.

"We can't be," Swales' panicky voice said.

"But obviously we are so don't waste my time," Smith said a little too harshly. "Martha, what do we got? Is there a balcony on this floor or a veranda?"

"By the patients' lounge, yeah," Martha interrupted.

"Fancy going out?" Mr. Smith asked as if it were a date.

It was silly but Martha kind of wished it were. She did not really know this John Smith but there was something about this man that instantly impressed her. She was immediately attracted to him. This was rare for her. She was the kind of woman who pushed aside most men who tried to approach her. Unlike Tish, she rarely flirted and dated very rarely. Her last date was over eight months ago and they did not even have sex. Martha did not even want to think about the last time she had sex.

But this Mr. Smith, this stranger with two hearts and a doppelganger and talked about Benjamin Franklin and being on the moon like it was an everyday occurrence, impressed her. He made her feel important. It was like speaking to him was a life-changing experience.

"Ok," Martha said.

"We might die," Smith said plainly.

"We might not," Martha responded and it seemed to be the right answer.

"Good," he said. "Come on."

Then he gestured to Swales.

"Not her, she'd hold us up."

With that, they left Swales and headed to the patients' lounge and the balcony.

They both held their breaths as they stepped outside the building. It was a relief to release it and realize they could breathe.

"We've got air," Martha said. "How does that work?"

"Just be glad it does," Mr. Smith said.

They walked over to the railing and stared out at the earth, so bright and blue against the dark, starry sky.

"I've got a party tonight," Martha said in a dreamy voice. She did not know why she wanted to tell Mr. Smith this. "It's my brother's 21st. My mother's going to be really... Really…"

It was rare that her mother showed up for any family gathering these days. Francine seemed to think that all her children agreed to the divorce. They did not. Tish hated it. She hated Annaliese. Leo was more for their father. He wanted both their parents to be happy, but being a man he wanted to stick with their dad. Martha was caught in the middle. She wanted their mother to be happy and she wanted her father to be happy. She hated to pick sides. She hated that their mother was unhappy, but she was glad her father found someone that made him happy, for now, even if that someone was nasal, high-pitched voice, Annaliese.

"You ok?" Smith asked.

"Yeah," Martha said fighting the tears that were beginning to sting her eyes.

"Sure?"

"Yeah," Martha said more confidently.

"Do you want to go back in?"

"No way. I mean, we could die any minute, but all the same, it's beautiful."

"You think?"

Mr. Smith was so close to her now. She could practically feel the fabric of his suit touching her white doctor's coat.

"How many people want to go to the moon? And here we are," Martha said.

She wanted to slide closer to Smith, breathe in his scent, but she restrained herself. She just met the man and as far as she knew, flirting with people was just his thing. He could have a perfectly fine girlfriend (or boyfriend) waiting for him at home.

"Standing in the Earthlight," Smith said turning his body to face Martha.

From the corner of her eye, Martha could see Smith was looking at her face and her whole body felt as if it were on fire. She cleared her throat.

"What do you think happened?" She asked.

Smith took a step back. It was obvious that he was a bit disappointed by Martha ignoring his attraction towards her.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"Extraterrestrial," Martha answered. "It's got to be. I don't know, a few years ago, that would've sounded mad, but these days… That spaceship flying into Big Ben. Christmas. Those Cybermen things. I had a cousin, Adeola. She worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home."

It was heartbreaking. Adeola and Martha looked as if they were identical twin cousins. Rare in any family. They got on well. For most of their lives, they were as thick as thieves and then university, they parted ways. They kept in touch of course, but they were never as close as they were before. The family never knew what happened to Adeola. All they could do was to guess what happened and that they would never see her again. It was hard for Adeola's parents to even look at Martha now.

"I'm sorry," Smith apologized as if it were his fault that her cousin was gone.

"Yeah."

"I was there," Or maybe it was his fault. "In the battle. It was..."

Martha chose to ignore this. She did not want to ask any more questions. It was too painful of a thought for her. All she could guess, by the sound of Mr. Smith's voice, was that Adeola was truly gone and knowing exactly what happened to her was not going to bring her back.

"I promise you, Mr. Smith, we will find a way out. If we can travel to the moon, then we can travel back. There's got to be away."

"It's not Smith," the man said. "That's not my real name."

This man was full of surprises. Why would he check himself in as John Smith if that was not his name? Was he trying to hide from someone? Was all of this happening because of him?

"Who are you, then?" Martha asked.

"I'm the Doctor," he answered.

Martha did not get it.

"Me too, if I ever pass my exams. What is it then? Dr. Smith?"

She assumed she meant his name was not Mr. Smith, but Dr. Smith. It was an easy mistake to make.

"Just the Doctor," he corrected.

"How do you mean, 'Just the Doctor'?" Martha said. He had to have more of a name than that.

"Just the Doctor," was the only response the Doctor would give.

"What, people call you 'the Doctor?'"

"Yeah."

Martha frowned. The title seemed too ambitious or his parents were some strange hippies who believed in naming their children on what they should inspire to be.

"Well, I'm not. Far as I'm concerned, you've got to earn that title."

"Well, I better make a start, then. Let's have a look," he said taking up the challenge.

The Doctor picked up a rock and threw it out. It hit something.

"There must be some sort of force-field keeping the air in," he said.

Martha's heart jumped into her throat.

"But if that's like a bubble sealing us in, that means this is the only air we've got. What happens when it runs out?"

"How many people in this hospital?" the Doctor asked.

"Don't know, a thousand?" Martha estimated.

"One thousand people, suffocating."

"Why would anyone do that?" she asked in horror.

Before the Doctor could answer a loud noise crashed into the air and the ground quaked again.

"Ask them yourself," the Doctor exclaimed as cylindrical spaceships appear and settled down on the moon's surface just outside the force-field.

"Aliens, that's aliens," Martha exclaimed never having seen an alien in her life. "Real, proper aliens."

"Judoon," the Doctor said as if he has seen aliens before.

They watched the Judoon enter the force field without breaking it and enter the building. The Doctor and Martha waited a few minutes before going inside themselves. They rushed to the entrance lobby and hid behind some indoor plants. They watched the Judoon charge in and the people panic.

"Aw, look down there, you've got a little shop," the Doctor said distractedly. It was like he had a short attention span or something. "I like a little shop."

Martha could not believe he was talking about some gift shop while aliens were evading the hospital.

"Never mind that," Martha said sharply. "What are Judoon?"

"They're like police. Well, police-for-hire. They're more like interplanetary thugs."

"And they brought us to the moon?"

"Neutral territory. According to Galactic Law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth so they isolated it. That rain and lightning that was them using a H2O scope."

"Why are you on about, Galactic Law. I mean, where did you get that from?" Martha said as the Doctor moved to get a better look at what was going on on the floor below them. He seemed to be avoiding her question.

"If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?" Martha pressed on.

"No, but I like that, good thinking," the Doctor said slightly impressed by her way of thinking. "No, I wish it were that simple. They're making a catalog. That means they're after something nonhuman, which is very bad news for me."

"Why?" Martha asked and the Doctor gave her a look that seemed to answer her. "Oh, you're kidding me. Don't be ridiculous. Stop looking at me like that."

The Doctor seemed to be implying that he was an alien.

"Come on, then," he said wanting to move on.

"Alright," Martha said as she followed the Doctor.

He found an empty room with a computer and turned to Martha.

"Could you be lookout?" He asked dismissively.

Martha nodded, feeling a bit put off by the Doctor's change of attitude.

"When should I come back?" She asked.

The Doctor took a few seconds to think about it.

"When they've moved," he said cryptically.

Martha wanted to ask to where but dropped it and went to watch the aliens, Judoon. Her mind was trying to process everything. They were on the moon, being roughed up by some rhino looking alien police force, running out of air, and her new buddy was an alien as well. Just to think that before she met Mr… Dr. Smith... Well the Doctor or whatever he called himself, the only thing Martha had to worry about was making sure Leo's party did not end in a disaster.

Sometime later, Martha decided to return to the room. She was sure she had seen all she needed to of the Judoon's movements anyway. The Doctor was doing something with the computer and she wanted to know what.

"They've reached the third floor. What's that thing?" she asked as she saw him holding up some sort of device.

"Sonic screwdriver," the Doctor answered.

"Well, if you're not going to answer me properly," Martha said not believing him.

"No really, it is," the Doctor showed her. "It's a screwdriver and it's sonic. Look."

"What else you got? A laser spanner?" Martha joked.

"I did, but it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst. Cheeky woman."

Without warning, he let out a frustrated growl.

"What's wrong with this computer? The Judoon must have locked it down. Judoon platoon upon the moon," he rambled. "I was just traveling past, I swear. I was just wondering. I wasn't looking for trouble. Honestly, I wasn't. But I noticed these plasma coils around the hospital. That lightning, that's a plasma coil it's been building up for two days now. So I checked in, I thought something was going on inside. Turns out the bloody plasma coils were the Judoon up above."

"But what are they looking for?" She asked figuring he was finished.

"Something that looks human, but isn't," the Doctor answered.

"Like you, apparently," Martha said hoping it did not sound snappy.

"Like me," the Doctor said. He stared at her. "But not me."

Martha stared into his big brown eyes. They stared for a long minute before she blushed and looked away.

"Haven't they got a photo?" she asked.

"Might be a shape-changer," the Doctor said nonchalantly.

Martha's spine jumped. This time she knew better than to not to believe him initially. Shapechangers apparently existed as well as rhino looking aliens and human-looking aliens with two hearts. And just to think Martha's day had started out so normal.

"Whatever it is, can't you just leave the Judoon to find it?" she asked.

"If they declare the hospital guilty of harboring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution."

"All of us?"

"Oh yes, but if I can find this thing first..." The Doctor began but then let out a shout of outrage that startled Martha. "You see they're thick."

He gestured to the computer.

"Judoon are thick. They are completely thick. They've wiped the records. Oh, that's clever."

"What are we looking for?" Martha asked.

"I don't know. Say any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms. Maybe there's back."

Martha thought quickly.

"Just keep working," she said coming up with something. "I'll go ask Mr. Stoker. He might know."

With that, Martha rushed off to Stoker's office.

"Mr. Stoker," she asked without knocking and walked in.

She gasped when she saw Mr. Stoker was dead on the floor. Mrs. Finnegan had a straw to her lips. It was obvious she had killed him. The two men in black were standing over them as if they were guarding her.

Martha did not know what to do so she ran from the room.

"Kill her," Finnegan ordered.

Martha ran into the Doctor. He was now out in the hall.

"I've restored the backup," He told her.

"I found her," she told him.

"You did what?" the Doctor asked shocked.

Before Martha could explain what she saw, the men in black were approaching them.

"Run," the Doctor exclaimed. He grabbed Martha's hand, her heart gave a flutter, and they ran away.

They seemed to run forever as they made it to an x-ray room. The Doctor lets go of Martha's hand. He locked the door with his sonic screwdriver.

"When I say 'now', press the button," he instructed.

"But I don't know which one," Martha said. This was not her field of study.

"The find out." The Doctor said before he went over to the x-ray machine.

Martha began to panic as she stared at the buttons that operated the machine. Drawing a blank she turned to look for the one thing that could help her, the instruction manual. When she found the heavy book, she quickly found and read the information she needed.

One of the men in black broke down the door and the Doctor pointed the machine at him.

"Now," the Doctor called out to Martha and she pressed the required button.

The man got zapped with a heavy dose of radiation and collapsed dead on the floor. Martha was safe behind the safety glass.

"What did you do?" Martha asked.

"Increased the radiation by 5000 percent. Killed him dead."

"But isn't that going to kill you?" Martha asked realizing the Doctor did not have any protection from the radiation.

"Nah," the Doctor said. "It's only roentgen radiation. We used to play with roentgen radiation bricks in the nursery. It's safe for you to come out. I've absorbed it all."

Martha cautiously walked out from the safety glass.

"All I need to do is expel it. I gotta concentrate, shift the radiation out my body into one spot. I think my left shoe."

The Doctor removed his left shoe and tossed it into the bin.

"Done," he said satisfied.

"You're completely mad," Martha chuckled.

"You're right," the Doctor said. It sounded as if he was trying to impress her or make her laugh. "I look daft with one shoe."

He removed his other shoe and tossed it into the bin.

"Barefoot on the moon," he said with a wispy smile.

"So, what is that thing?" Martha smiled back. "Where's it from, Planet Zovirax?"

She stared down at the man in black.

"Just a Slab," the Doctor said following her gaze. "They're called Slabs. Basic slave drones, you see. Solid leather all the way through. Someone has got one hell of a fetish."

"But it was that woman, Miss Finnegan. It was working for her, just like a servant," Martha said taking the situation seriously.

The Doctor did not seem to be paying attention.

"My sonic screwdriver," he said woefully. He was holding on to the damaged tool.

"She was one of the patients, but…" Martha pressed on.

"Burnt out my sonic screwdriver," the Doctor whined.

"She had this straw, like some sort of vampire," Martha continued to inform.

"I love my sonic screwdriver," the Doctor whimpered.

"Doctor," Martha said trying to direct his attention to what really mattered.

"Sorry," the Doctor apologized tossing the tool behind him like he was not just gushing over it like it meant anything to him. "You called me Doctor."

He smiled down at her. Martha smiled back up at him. A spark seemed to pass through them before Martha pushed it aside.

"Anyway," she said. "Miss Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mr. Stoker's blood."

She made sure she was clear as she went over the information she told the Doctor while he was mourning his sonic screwdriver.

"Funny time to take a snack," the Doctor wondered. "You'd think she'd be hiding. Unless, no, yes that's it. Wait a minute!"

The Doctor's mind moved quickly. Faster than anyone's mind on Earth.

"Yes," he exclaimed. "Shape-changer, internal-shape changer. She wasn't drinking blood, she was assimilating it. If she can assimilate Mr. Stoker's blood, mimic the biology she'll register as human. We've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on."

They ran looking for Ms. Finnegan. It was not long before they realized that the other Slab was after them and they decided to hide rather than deal with him.

"That's the thing about Slabs, they always travel in pairs," the Doctor whispered.

"What about you?" Martha asked wondering if the Doctor were alone or did he have someone waiting in the wings to help out.

"What about me what?"

"Haven't you got back-up?" Martha asked. "You must have a partner or something."

"Humans. We're stuck on the moon, running out of air, with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal, you're asking personal questions. Come on."

"I like that, 'humans'. I'm still not convinced you're an alien," Martha said offended but she could tell that he was avoiding her question for some reason or another. She decided not to push him further.

They abandoned their hiding spot and ran into one of the Judoon. The Judoon registered the Doctor.

"Non-Human," it said.

That was what finally proved to Martha that the Doctor really was an alien. Though the two hearts and all the extraterrestrial knowledge were not big enough clues. A part of her just could not believe that the handsome man that was making her heart skip a beat was not human.

The Doctor grabbed Martha's hand and pulled her with him as they ran away. They ran as the Judoon opened fire. They ran all the way up to a different floor. The Doctor made sure to lock the stairwell door to keep the Judoon out.

"They've done this floor," the Doctor said noticing all the marked humans. "Come on. The Judoon are logical and just a little bit thick. They won't go back to check a floor they've checked already. If we're lucky."

As Martha was catching her breath, she spotted Swales assisting a female patient with an oxygen mask.

"How much oxygen is there?" she asked.

"Not enough for all these people. We're gonna run out," Swales answered.

"How are you feeling? You all right?" the Doctor asked Martha. His eyes were soft and caring.

"I'm running on adrenaline," Martha answered with a wide smile.

"Welcome to my world," the Doctor said.

"What about the Judoon?" Martha asked.

"Great big lung reserves. It won't slow them down. Where's Mr. Stoker's office?"

Martha led him to Stoker's office. They entered the room, cautiously. They did not know whether Finnegan was still there or not.

"She's gone. She was here," Martha said with some relief.

"Drained him dry," the Doctor said as he checked Stoker's body. "Every last drop. I was right, she's a Plasmavore."

"What she doing on Earth?" Martha asked.

"Hiding," the Doctor answered. "On the run. What she doing now? She's still not safe. Judoon could execute us all. Come on."

The Doctor went to leave. Martha stopped to close Stoker's eyes. It was a gesture of kindness and respect. When she looked up at the Doctor she saw he was looking at her with pride.

"Think, think, think," the Doctor said more to himself than Martha when they left the office. "If I was a Plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?"

An enlightened expression appeared over his face.

"Oh, she's as clever as me. Almost."

Then, to their surprise, the Judoon appeared on the floor looking for them.

"Find the non-human," one of the Judoon ordered. "Execute."

The Doctor turned to Martha.

"Martha, stay here," he ordered. "I need time. You've got to hold them up."

"How do I do that?" Martha asked.

"Just forgive me for this. It could save thousands of lives," the Doctor said before grabbing Martha's face and kissing her.

The kiss only lasted seconds but it felt like it lasted much longer. It was wonderful and shocking and it left Martha in a sleepy daze that was all around pleasant. When she opened her eyes, the Doctor was already gone.

"Find the non-human execute," a Judoon said as Martha stood and waited for it to come to her.

"Now, listen I know who you're looking for," Martha tried to reason. "She's this woman. She calls herself Florence."  
The Judoon preceded to catalog her.

"Human, wait. Non-human trace suspected," the Judoon said as its scanner became confused with the mixture of human DNA and whatever DNA the Doctor had. "Non-human element confirmed. Authorize full scan."

The Judoon backed Martha into the wall and scanned her completely.

"Confirmed, human," the Judoon said after a few minutes. "Traces of facial contact with non-human. Continue the search."

It handed Martha a strange document and mentioned something about compensation. The Judoon left in search of the Doctor. Martha followed them. It did not take long to find him. He was in the MRI room, lying on the floor.

The Judoon scanned his body.

"Confirmation, deceased."

"No," Martha exclaimed. "He can't be. Let me through. Let me see him."

Martha tried to make her way past the group of Judoon, but she was stopped.

"Case closed," the one that appeared to be the leader said.

Martha saw Miss Finnegan and pointed to her.

"But it was her," she told. "She killed him. She did it. She murdered him."

"Judoon have no authority over human crime," the leader said.

"But she's not human," Martha tried to explain.

Finnegan stepped forward.

"Oh, but I am. I've been cataloged." She said holding up her hand and showing the black marker 'X' upon it.

"But she's not. She assim…" Martha went to say but stopped when she remembered what assimilated meant. "Wait a minute. You drank his blood? You drank the Doctor's blood?"

Martha grabbed one of the Judoon's scanner and scanned Finnegan.

"Oh, I don't mind," Finnegan said confidently. "Scan all you like."

The scanner discovered exactly what Martha knew it would.

"Non-human," the Judoon confirmed.

"Oh, but it's a mistake, surely," Finnegan argued. She obviously did not know the Doctor was not human. "I'm human. I'm as human as they come."

"He gave his life so they'd find you," Martha said admirably.

"Confirm, Plasmavore. Charged with the crime of murdering the Child Princess of Padrivole Regency Nine."

"Well, she deserved it," the Plasmavore said with a sneer. "Those pink cheeks and those blonde curls and that simpering voice. She was begging for the bite of a Plasmavore."

"Then you confess," the Judoon leader said.

"Confess?" Finnegan said back. "I'm proud of it. Slab stop them."

The Slab went to do what he was told only to be vaporized by one of the Judoon's lasers.

"Verdict, guilty," the leader of the Judoon judged. "Sentence, execution."

"Enjoy your victory, Judoon, because you're gonna burn with me."

Martha did not notice when they entered the room, but Finnegan had done something to the machine and when the alien connected two plugs, the machine began to overload.

One of the Judoon fired and Finnegan was no more.

"Case closed," the Judoon who fired said satisfied.

During all of the commotion, Martha fell to the floor and crawled over to the Doctor.

"But what did she mean, burn with me?" she asked as the Judoon began to leave the room. "The scanner shouldn't be doing that. She's done something."

"Scans detect lethal acceleration of mono-magnetic pulse."

"Well, do something. Stop it!" Martha demanded.

"Our jurisdiction has ended," the leader said to her. "Judoon will evacuate.

"What," Martha exclaimed. "You can't just leave it. What's it gonna do?"

"All units withdraw," the Judoon ignored her.

Martha followed them out into the hall.

"You can't go. That thing's going to explode, and it's your fault!" she shouted to the Judoon.

Martha rushed back to the Doctor's side. She decided to try CPR on him. Give her life for the man who knew what he was doing. Maybe he would be able to save them. She tried a couple of times to revive the Doctor before she remembered why she was failing.

"Two hearts," she said to herself. The Doctor had two hearts when she examined him earlier.

She quickly switched tactics. Instead of compressing one side of his chest, Martha did both sides. She compressed his chest and gave him air from her lungs. With her last complete breath, the Doctor woke.

"The scanner," Martha gasped. "She did something."

With that, Martha passed out

. She woke up in an ambulance. She was given oxygen by a paramedic. It was a while before she was able to sit up.

"I said I represent the human race," she heard Morgenstern say. "I told them, you can't do that. I said we have rights."

Martha wanted to roll her eyes.

"Martha," Tish said coming to embrace her sister. "Oh my god. I thought you were dead. What happened? It was so weird. 'Cause the police wouldn't say, they didn't have a clue and I tried phoning. Mum's on her way, but she can't get through. They've closed off all the roads."

Martha was half paying attention when she looked up and saw the Doctor and an old police call box. She did not have time to wonder much about it because Tish's voice demanded her attention.

"There's thousands of people trying to get in. The whole city's gone to a halt. And Dad phones, 'cause it's on the news and everything. He was crying. Oh, my God, I've been a mess. What happened? I mean, what really happened? Where were you?"

Martha allowed herself to be distracted and looked up to search for the Doctor only to see him and the box were gone. She returned her attention to Tish.

"I don't know," she lied. "Everything happened so quickly. One moment I was conscious, the next, I was here."

It was not a complete lie.

"Martha, you were gone for over an hour," Tish argued.

"Tish, I really can't remember what happened."

Later, about sunset, Martha was getting ready for Leo's party. She had showered, washed her hair, and now was applying her makeup. She was trying not to think about the Doctor and the strange attraction she felt for him.

She turned on her radio. The news was all about what happened at Royal Hope. Morgenstern was, yet again, giving his account of what had happened. Martha smiled. The man was just soaking up the spotlight. She turned off her radio. She finished her makeup and went to her bedroom. She tossed her robe to the side. She pulled on her red tank top first, and then her boot-cut jeans, and finally her boots. She put the finishing touch on her hair and grabbed her jacket. She was off to her brother's party. After all the commotion with the Hospital, Martha had no time to solve the Annaliese problem.

As predicted the night was a disaster. They had barely sat down before her Mother was making snide comments and Annaliese was making equally snarky remarks. The argument escalated until they had to force themselves to leave before they were thrown out.

"I'm not staying in there to be insulted," Annaliese said loudly.

"She didn't mean it, sweetheart," Clive said trying to calm his girlfriend down. "She was saying you look healthy."

"No, I did not," Francine argued. "I said orange."

"Clive," Annaliese said. "That woman is disrespecting me. She's never liked me."

"Oh, I can't think why " Francine yelled back. "After you stole my husband."

"I was seduced. I'm entirely innocent," Annaliese pouted. "Tell her, babes.

Francine fumed.

"And then she has a go at Martha, practically accused her of making the whole thing up."

"Mum, I don't mind," Martha said trying to calm everyone down. "Just leave it."

"Oh, 'I've been to the moon,' as if," Annaliese teased. "They were drugged. It said so on the news."

"Since when did you watch the news?" Francine shouted. "You can't handle Quizmania."

"Annaliese started it," Tish said taking their mother's side. "She did. I heard her."

It was kind of childish of her to say.

"Tish, don't make it worse," Leo said.

"Come off it, Leo," Tish snapped. "What did she buy you? Soap? A seventy- five pence soap."

"Oh, I'm never talking to your family again," Annaliese groaned.

"Oh, stay," Francine goaded. "Have a night out with Clive?'

"Annaliese," Clive called. "Don't you dare. I'm putting my foot down."

"You coming?" Annaliese asked as she stomped off to the left.

"Make a fool of yourself. God knows you've been doing that for the last 25 years. Why stop now?" Francine shouted at them.

Leo followed their father and Annaliese. Tish went after their mother. Martha was left alone at the door of the bar. She was happy to be left alone in the quiet. She was embarrassed by her family, but she still loved them as well. It was just not fair that she was the most mature out of the lot of them.

She turned to her left and saw the Doctor standing down the street. He was leaning against the wall, staring at her. He guides her down the nearest alleyway. Martha decided to follow him. When she catches up to him she sees the police call box again. The doctor was leaning against its blue surface.

"I went to the moon today," Martha said walking up to him.

"Bit more peaceful than down here," the Doctor said and Martha could only guess that he had heard her family.

"You've never even told me who you are."

"The Doctor."

"But what sort of species? It's not every day I get to ask that."

"I'm a Time Lord," the Doctor said.

"Right, not pompous at all, then," Martha teased.

"I just thought, since you saved my life and I've got a brand new sonic screwdriver, which needs road testing, you might fancy a trip."

"What into space?"

"Well," the Doctor stretched out the word.

"But I can't. I've got exams, I've got things to do. I've got to go into town first thing to pay the rent. I've got my family going mad."

"If it helps, I can travel in time as well."

Martha laughed. Even though the Doctor has never lied to her, she still found it hard to believe the out-worldly things that came out of his mouth.

"Get out of here."

"I can."

"Come on, now. That's going too far."

"I'll prove it," the Doctor said before stepping into the call box.

It made a strange grinding noise as it disappeared. Martha could not believe her eyes. She reached out and touched the spot of where the box was. There was nothing but air. Seconds later the grinding sound reappeared and seconds after that the call box visualized. The Doctor stepped out of the box. His tie was in his hand and Martha realized that the man who had stopped her on the street that morning was the same man standing in front of her now.

"Told you," he said.

"No, but that was this morning," Martha gasped flabbergasted. "But did you? Oh my god, you can travel in time. But hold on, if you could see me this morning, why didn't you tell me not to go into work?"

"Crossing into established events is strictly forbidden. Except for cheap tricks."

"And that's your spaceship?"

"It's called the TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimension in Space."

"Your spaceship's made out of wood," Martha said touching the surface of the Tardis. "There's not much room. We'd be a bit intimate."

The Doctor knocked the door opened.

"Take a look," he said and Martha entered.

She was amazed. Inside the TARDIS there was a huge hub like space. The Doctor entered, watching her reaction.

"No, no, no," Martha said stepping out to look at the TARDIS from the outside. "But it's just a box. But it's huge."

She stepped back inside.

"How's it do that? It's wood. It's like a box with a room just crammed in. It's bigger on the inside."

"Is it? I've never noticed," the Doctor said closing the door. He removed his long coat and walked up to the console.

"All right then, let's get going," he said.

"But is there a crew?" Martha asked. She was still wondering if the Doctor was alone. "Like a navigator and stuff? Where is everyone?"

She looked around as she walks up the stairs that lead to the console.

"Just me," the Doctor answered.

"All on your own?"

"Well, sometimes I have guests. I mean, some friends traveling alongside me. I had. It was recently a friend of mine. Rose. her name was. Rose and we were together. Anyway..."

"Where is she now?" Martha asked. She wondered what kind of friend Rose was to the Doctor. How special was she? Martha wondered if she was a rebound. She did not like the thought.

"With her family, happy. She's fine. She's … Not that you're replacing her."

"Never said I was."

"I'm just doing this to say thanks."

"Well, you're the one who kissed me."

"It was a genetic transfer."

"You wear a tight suit and travel all the way across the universe just to ask me on a date."

The Doctor said nothing. He began turning dials, pulling switches, and pressing buttons.

"For the record, I'm not remotely interested."

"Liar," the Doctor said with a cheeky smile.

Martha smiled back.

The Doctor went back to preparing to take off.

"Now then, close down the Gravitic Anomalyzer, Fire up the Helmic Regulator, and finally, the handbrake," he said as he went to the console. "Ready?"

"No," Martha chuckled.

"Off we go," the Doctor said excitedly.

A lever was pulled and the TARDIS began to violently shake. Martha and the Doctor held on to the console so they wouldn't fall to the ground. The Doctor held out his hand and Martha took it. They smiled at each as the TARDIS took them to wherever or whenever.

END OF CH. 1


End file.
